Hold Us Guiltless
by Magi Silverwolf
Summary: Harry had always been good at looking at things on a slant, even on the fly. Perhaps on the fly, he was even better. Dumbledore probably should have realized that before he sent Harry and Hermione back in time to save Sirius. Turns out that Sirius wasn't the only one who just needed a bit more time to figure things out.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own the original canon nor am I making any profit from writing this piece. All works are accredited to their original authors, performers, and producers while this piece is mine. No copyright infringement is intended. I acknowledge that all views and opinions expressed herein are merely my interpretations of the characters and situations found within the original canon and may not reflect the views and opinions of the original author(s), producer(s), and/or other people.

 **Warnings:** This story may contain material that is not suitable for all audiences and may offend some readers.

 **Author's Note:** I adore the idea of Harry being more intelligent than he lets people see. It's canon that the Dursleys punished him if he did better than Dudley. Why wouldn't that had carried over when he went to Hogwarts?

 **Song Recommendation(s):** "Take Me to Church" by Hozier

 **Notice:** This story was previously published in a collection in which it did not belong. It is now being published as a standalone story with all competition-centric notes not in the Block removed.

 **Author's Note with the Competition Information** :  
 **House** : Hufflepuff  
 **Category** : Themed (Goodbye)  
 **Prompts** : "Take Me to Church" by Hozier [Song Prompt]  
 **Word Count** : 946 (Story); 962 (Story & Epigraph)

-= LP =-  
 **Defiance**  
Hold Us Guiltless  
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"No masters or kings when the ritual begins." – Hozier, _Take Me to Church  
_ -= LP =-

"No."

Hermione's breath caught at Harry's denial of her order, so suddenly quiet when they had been arguing just a moment ago. She had to realize that this was about more than Sirius and Buckbeak. Harry never claimed to be the smartest person in any room, but with as many books as Hermione had read, surely she had picked up something as basic as philosophy. The clouds shifted, letting moonlight spill down upon her face.

Just like the sudden light, Harry realized _exactly_ where they were standing.

"We have to move!"

"Harry, we mustn't! I keep telling you—"

"No time, Hermione," Harry interrupted, already dashing to untie Buckbeak. "We're in Lupin's path!"

"We have to move," Hermione moaned, wringing her hands. "Where will we go? Where are we going to hide? The dementors will be coming any moment—"

"Hagrid's is empty now," Harry said, as Buckbeak's tether finally came free.

They ran as quickly as they could through the dark woods. Almost lazily, Buckbeak cantered behind them, not even a hint of agitation when a howl echoed around them. Harry ushered them all into Hagrid's hut to Fang's frantic barking. It was only after Hermione had greeted the enthusiastic boarhound that Harry dared to continue their previous conversation.

" _He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it_ ," Harry intoned. Hermione spun to face him. Her brown eyes were wide with shock. A part of him wanted to be annoyed but he did know that he was being unfair. He was the one who continued to wear the same mask he used at the Dursleys'; he really couldn't be annoyed when even his best friends bought into it. "Pettigrew is running away again, which is what got us into this situation. A man we know is innocent will be sentenced to be executed and—this is very important, Hermione: the head of Wizengamot is not going to do anything to stop it."

"But Dumbledore did—"

"Send us back in time to change things."

"By helping Sirius escape—"

"—which requires that we be _seen_ , which we _must not_ , remember?"

"It's against the law," she said after a long moment. "Terrible things happen to people who meddle with time. So many people have accidentally killed themselves trying."

"Would the head of two legislative bodies know that?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, slowly as if uncertain that she liked that answer. "But what else was he going to do? He can't overrule the Minister!"

"Why not? _Think_ , Hermione. The Ministry cannot interfere with Hogwarts without involving the governors because they cannot act on the grounds without the headmaster's permission. If the head magistrate of the House of Lords issued a stay of execution, that would be enough to override ministerial order—why would it be any different for the Chief Warlock? If the UN granted a refugee asylum pending _a trial he had been denied_ , then it didn't matter where they were being kept in custody. What do you think the International Confederation of Wizards is? How _exactly_ are Dumbledore's hands tied here?"

"Harry, we still cannot go about changing anything that suits our fancy!" She looked scandalized by the very idea of such a thing. Harry scoffed before he could stop himself. Hermione glared at him. "Time should not be rearranged to suit a whim!"

"Like using routine time travel to _study_?"

" _Harry!_ "

"Pot," Harry quipped. He glanced restlessly out the window. Time was running out faster than he could imagine. He could feel the press of it against him. He sighed before giving his last argument. " _Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless—"_

" _Not to speak is to speak,"_ Hermione picked up, speaking the quotation with him. " _Not to act is to act_."

"We can't do nothing," Harry whispered as their voices trickled off, leaving the words hanging in the air like the last note of a broken harp. "We didn't before, and we can't now. Someone has to do something, and if no one else will, then it has to be us."

"No, Harry," Hermione disagreed. Her eyes sparkled wetly in the faint light of the hut. "It has to be you. It has always been you. Something about you is just _vital_ to—oh, to everything! It's like—"

"Like I was born to save the world? Best not go 'bout spreading that, Miss Granger, or people might think I'm some kind of savior or something."

"You're impossible, Harry Potter," she returned with a rueful shake of her head. "I don't know why I put up with you sometimes."

"Lingering fear of trolls," Harry declared, startling a disbelieving laugh from the witch. "Now, I really do need to see a man about a dementor—maybe a few dozen. We good?"

"Oh, _Harry_ ," Hermione choked out before she lunged at him like she had back at the end of their first year when they both knew that he was going to confront a servant of the Dark Lord. The hug still startled him. "Do what you need to, and we'll figure this out when you get back. Remember: you are a great wizard and an even better friend. _Be careful_."

"Stay safe," he commanded, instead of making promises he knew he couldn't keep. Then he darted out into the darkness of a Scottish night. He had a mission, even if he didn't have a plan. Regardless of what this meant in the greater scheme of things, he could go forward knowing that leaving the past behind was the right thing to do.

He needed no more of an absolute than that.

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An Ending  
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End file.
